Our favorite "look at me" moments in our home renovations are usually executed with beautiful tiles. There are so many different options out there and part of the fun with renovations is finding the perfect balance of fun and timeless, inspiring and surprising, and of course, elements that are cohesive with the home's style.
We've used a pretty wide range of tiles, and one of our absolute favorite tiles live in our Highland House. The fireplace tiles, yep stone tiles, added that character the living room needed. It was a simple, dated square before we got our hands on it but by pairing the fireplace tiles with the modern custom white cabinetry and freshly stained ceiling, we were able to create a beautiful, holistic California Casual Aesthetic in this 90's
beat(up) box.
Another room we got to have a little fun with in the Highland House, the master bathroom. We used an organic white-grey subway tile in a vertical brick pattern to create a modern wainscot that accented the handmade star and cross floors (similar style linked here). We were, and still are, obsessed with this tile combination!
Another favorite "wow" tile, our Centennial House master bath floors! We were asked SO many times if the tiles in the bathrooms were original to the home - exactly what we wanted to hear! That means our goal of keeping that original charm in the home, but adding the modern day amenities, was achieved!
You can see that again, we did the tile wainscot on the wall between the two vanities but this time we mixed it up with 5x5" tiles. We wanted something less modern, more classic, for this beautiful historic home.
Don't worry, we didn't forget the guest bathrooms at the Centennial House. You can see we mixed the fresh, new Carrara marble wall tiles with the aged brick in a classic herringbone pattern. Again, people were wondering if the floors were original they fit so perfectly!
Here's how we used the same tile, also in a herringbone pattern, but for a fireplace hearth. Such a beautiful, eclectic option we couldn't get enough of! This time we paired the brick with a custom, hand-painted tile from Fireclay Tile that we inset into the plaster facade. We love, love, love how this vignette turned out!
Another home we had tons of fun playing with tile in? Our Palm House renovation! We used a grey and white bold patterned tile in the kitchen and had some fun with mixing a classic white subway tile with grey penny tiles in a stripe pattern for one of the guest bedrooms, classic but a total surprise!
Oversized stone tiles are a great, affordable option to help create the look of an expensive slab when you're budget just won't allow. We used that theory here, on the Palm House fireplace, when we couldn't find the right slab in our budget!
What are some of your favorite ways to use tile in unexpected ways?
XO -
The HHI Team